According to The Guardian's report on August 16th, a man was exposed as working for the Afghan police due to information leaks from the Ministry of Defense. Subsequently, he received threats from the Taliban, and the British government rejected his application for resettlement.
Hamid (pseudonym) served in the Special Forces of the Afghan National Police and received a certificate signed by British senior officials for his "dedication, outstanding service, and leadership abilities" due to his work performance.
However, his personal information was also included in a data file accidentally leaked by a Department of Defense official in 2022. At that time, the data revealed the identities of 18,700 Afghans who had worked or collaborated with the British government.
Hamid said that he has received threats from the Taliban on multiple occasions. In a video he shared with The Guardian, a man holding a rifle sits under a Taliban flag, threatening to pursue him and stating that they know about his previous activities.
However, the British Ministry of Defence has rejected his application for resettlement under the “Afghan Resettlement and Assistance Policy”. The latest rejection letter he received on July 31 stated that Hamid failed to provide evidence demonstrating his ability to work alongside, cooperate with, or offer close support to British government departments. The letter granted him 28 days to file an appeal.
Hamid said, "It is extremely painful, because I have submitted all the documents I could provide. Moreover, many of my former colleagues worked in the same department and performed the same duties. They have successfully immigrated to the UK through the Arap program."
Hamid said that due to his constant hiding, he has no reliable source of income and can only rely on his wife to do odd jobs at home to make ends meet. “This is the only source of income for our family. Even so, we can barely survive... I’m not asking for special treatment. I just want a fair review based on the evidence I have submitted.”
Hamid is still hiding. The image comes from The Guardian.
A UK Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis. It will be evaluated based on the evidence submitted (such as how the applicant supports Britain's mission in Afghanistan), and must meet publicly available criteria."
In fact, new data from the UK National Audit Office (NAO) in March 2026 shows that there are still 29,655 people waiting for the results of their applications for Afghan resettlement programs to determine whether they can settle in the UK again.
In addition, officials estimate that about 9,741 people are still waiting to be brought to the UK after their applications have been approved. Ministers had previously promised to bring all eligible Afghans to the UK by March 2029. However, officials responsible for the program believe that this goal cannot be achieved unless there is “emergency intervention”.
The Refugee Aid Network's Afghan affairs advisor, Sarah Finbides-Dickson, states that while she appreciates the UK government's efforts in re-settling those affected by the situation, this process is "incredibly slow."
